The Missing Piece in Ranger's Life

oOoOo

Chapter 7

Ranger POV

Speaking from experience, I know that Tank is not someone who is easily surprised. But then again, Stephanie Plum has that capacity to throw many, if not all of us, for a curve ball, from left field.

"Okay. These are the names she has listed: Mancuso and Ragusto. She has highlighted the second one with an asterisk. Now, I'm totally baffled how she could come up with that. It's like she pulled a magic rabbit out of her magician's hat. Fuck me."

"Sorry, Tank. You're not my type. So, explain."

I could easily visualise him shaking his head in shock and rubbing his big hands over his face. Sure enough, he stepped forward and did just that.

"How the hell did she do that? Both names are relevant, would you believe? They are part of the Handler's fucking team of aides who process the data. Fucking data processors! They have high clearance. But how the hell could she know that?"

"Hm. Perhaps that's the Morelli connection she was referring to. Check their full details?"

"Mancuso? Ragusto? Don't ring any bells for me," commented Miguel.

"Hang on. What's Mancuso's full name?" asked Thiago. "I think I know something. He sounds familiar. There was an incident when I was in DC last year, if I recall, and I made a report."

There was a rapid tapping of keys and his profile details appeared on screen.

"Well. Will ya look at that?"

Lester was sharp to pick it up, just as I did. Yes, Thiago was right about this fucker. It was ringing more than a bell, as red flags were waving madly. He was a fucking doppelganger except he had curlier hair! This brought back memories of Scrog all over again, but thankfully, without the kidnapping of my Julie, and Stephanie, too.

"Carlo Riccardo Mancuso."

"Shit man. That sounds so much like …" Thiago cut him off sharply.

"I know! Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Damnit! Carlo Riccardo Mancuso … Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Sounds much the same, don't they? He's Italian American, but you're Cuban American. He's the asshole who's been prancing about, posing as you. He's had a couple of reprimands. I encountered him at a bar trying to pick up some babes, talking about his ultra secret missions and crap like that. A wannabe special ops fuckwit. They make me sick. And he was such a loser. Talk about making an ass of himself. He was pretending to be you. And, what's more? … He was disclosing far too much confidential information. Fucking pen pusher wannabe. I made a report immediately, but I didn't know his name at the time, just that he was posing as Ranger. Took a photo of him with the babes he was trying to impress and sent that in with my report. He was so full of shit, basking in the glory of your reputation, Ranger."

Thiago was furious, no doubt about it. It's not the first time we discover these wannabe fuckwits. They have no fucking idea of the dangers involved, and by blurting out their bullshit, it puts a lot of people at risk, especially if that information fell on the wrong ears. Politics and media aren't always on side with these special ops missions. Pfft. Never on side. They're only in it for their own glory or a sensationalist scoop.

"Recently discharged pending military hearing," read Lester. "Now that is interesting."

"Show us the other profile. Ragusto was it?" I insisted.

I was still wondering how Stephanie could just seemingly pluck these names from out of the blue. Are they connected to Morelli? And if they are, how? Is that relevant?

"Marco Federico Ragusto. Doesn't ring any bells here."

We all shrugged our shoulders checking each other's reactions.

"Ha. He's also recently discharged. He has been in the department over five years. High clearance. Mancuso only two years. Okay. Go deeper into their backgrounds and we'll have to wait until Stephanie completes her surveillance shift with Cal. Better still. Call her off and tell Cal they need to get back to Rangeman, STAT. Swap another team in."

"On it."

In the meantime, we prepared our evening meal. I was distracted. This was very unsettling, but at the same time, it might finally give us some much needed answers, and closure. My mind was trying to get a handle on these two fucking aides. If and how Morelli was involved? The only connection so far was that their names were also Italian. I wondered if Morelli was paying them off. Was this why he was so cocky about my apparent death? My loathing for that fucking asshole intensified.

After cleaning up the dishes we went back down to the basement boardroom to wait for more details. Stephanie was bound to have an interesting perspective. Perfect timing. Tank came on screen with Stephanie close by his side.

"Hey, Beautiful. You have some explaining to do." I could hear the grin in Lester's voice.

"Alright, Bomber. How the hell did you come up with these names? Why did they pop into your head with that uncanny research you do?" Tank asked, still in awe of her deductive thinking.

She smiled, her face was a bit flushed with excitement. Taking a deep breath to centre herself, she composed herself and became serious.

"Ahem. Well. Simple, actually. Once I considered a possible Morelli connection, I did a deep search on his family, especially other relatives about his age."

How did she make a Morelli connection? Would he really have that level of clout or influence?

"Long story short: Mancuso. Distant cousin. In fact, two of my earliest skips when I started bounty hunting, were Leo Mancuso, and then Kenny Mancuso. Anyway, Kenny Mancuso's mother was a Morelli. They were much younger cousins, early twenties. But, in my research I came across Carlo Mancuso, and he had a military background. He was older than Morelli, but a distant cousin as well. So, I pondered that connection."

"Yeah. That was brilliant. You nailed that one!"

She smiled and did a little victory fist pump. She couldn't resist a little happy dance. Then she made a happy sigh, tightened her lips for a moment as she realised we saw her reaction. And there it was, that cute little blush. Dios, I love this woman!

"Okay. Now, I am really curious about this." She was bouncing on her feet. "How did I go with the other one? Marco Ragusto?" Her smile was confident and her eyes sparkled because she already knew the answer to that.

"Yes. Ragusto was a direct hit. He worked longer in the department than Mancuso. But, tell me Steph … How the hell did you get Ragusto? There's no Morelli lineage there. We just checked." Tank was curious and amazed.

She shrugged modestly. "Tina Ragusto is Joe Morelli's Godmother. So, once I checked her family, I discovered Marco Ragusto, who also had a military profile, which I was unable to access, obviously."

"Godmother?! Jeez! Seriously?! That's … that's just so fucking brilliant, Beautiful! Never in a million years would we have been able to make that connection. Fucking Godmother! Holy shitbags!" The awe in his voice was shared by us all. That's my Babe.

"Well done, Babe. You are truly amazing! That will now allow Tank to process this directly through our Handler."

"God damnit! Looks like that fucker Morelli must have been the instigator after all. I never thought he would be able to pull something like that off. Fucking asshole! He's in for a whole lot of hurt if that is confirmed. He has no idea what the consequences and ramifications of this kind of treachery are." Tank was furious.

Our session finished. Just because they were not international extremists or assassins, we still had to discover if there were any other personnel involved. Tank and Rangeman team have a great place to start. It seems that once again Stephanie's instincts and local knowledge network will likely pay dividends here.

We were pumped with the revelations. We were all smiling. There was light at the end of the tunnel. Tank and the team had work to do, so we had to bide our time, now feeling more confident that closure was nearer with that critical information.

My three amigos were shaking their heads in disbelief, their hands up in that typical gesture of amazement. I grinned, with a modicum of pride. Hell. Who am I kidding? I was so stoked with her clever deductive research. They were full of praise for her.

"This Morelli fucker. He is a dead man walking. Need some help? You know we can make him disappear, without a trace." Thiago's eyes gleamed maliciously.

He meant it and his expression was reflected in both Rex and Miguel's eager faces too. They all had the same intentions, just like me.

"Hell, more than half of Rangeman would be willing to assist with body parts disposal, of all three assholes, but especially Morelli. Motherfuckers! He's a loose cannon. He's worse than some of her stalkers."

"Stalkers?!"

"That's another story, for another time."

Damnit. Morelli. I wonder what made him go down this path? Something must have snapped. But, in all honesty, I couldn't give a flying fuck. If he instigated all this, then I will see to it that he carries the full weight of his involvement, and that military justice will deal with him, all three of them. Hm. I wonder what the weather is like in Guantanamo? Is orange his favourite colour?

Miguel gave me a curious look.

"Sup?"

"Just thinking … you know. About orange things. Gitmo must be nice at this time of year." I said, in a wistful way. This was well received with hearty laughter and sinister smirks.

We adjourned to the theatre room to relax. I closed my eyes listening to them making choices and took the opportunity to get some sleep, knowing that this new information was going to speed things up. I was excited, looking forward to seeing her this evening.

Waking up suddenly, as the guys were leaving to go to bed, I decided it was time for me to go. I bid them goodnight.

"Yeah. You go have a good night too, hermano," chuckled Rex.

"With your clever blue-eyed hermosa," smiled Thiago and Miguel together with a nudge and a wink.

"Go on, I'll clear all this. 'Night."

I cleaned up after us and loaded the final pieces into the dishwasher, leaving the kitchen spotless.

On the drive over to Trenton, I briefly wondered how they had dealt with Morelli the other night. Tank had texted that the fucktard was in the drunk tank overnight, sleeping off a bender. As I approached Stephanie's apartment, I saw one of the Rangeman SUVs keeping watch. I decided to approach, and silently stepped inside the vehicle. The light did not engage. Good.

"Man! You're a sight for sore eyes, Cuz. Good to see you, in the flesh." Lester gave me a hearty man hug and some back thumps. I tried not to flinch but he picked it up very quickly.

"Sorry man. I hear you guys were lucky despite being shot."

I nodded.

"Stephanie?"

"Amazing, huh? She's going well. Kept the faith. She refused to accept the MIA status change to PKIA. She was firmly holding the line."

"Morelli?"

"That fucking pendejo!" he growled.

"Apparently, Morelli was a mess. After his release from the drunk tank, and the humiliation, literally, with the walk of shame inside the TPD the next morning, he was immediately summonsed into the Chief's office, and subsequently suspended for a fortnight. Being demoted to a desk job for his repeated indiscretions would do that. He had lost face in front of his colleagues and co-workers."

"Sucks to be him. Long overdue, as we both know."

"Hector and Manny just happened to have brought in a skip and were witness to Morelli's release from the drunk tank. It wasn't pretty. Carl and Eddie have been keeping Tank apprised of the situation. They are good allies, for us. They really care about Stephanie and have her back. It seems the moron also has some other charges to answer, regarding the abuse of his badge, especially in relation to his Stark Street threats and extracurricular activities. Receiving sexual favours under the guise of not arresting the working girls, or referring to them as his informants. It seems he's been losing the plot. Stupid fucker. He has dirty cop written all over himself."

I nodded and knuckle bumped him and smiled. He has no idea what kind of shitstorm is about to descend upon him shortly. This TPD shit will seem like a picnic in the park.

"Places to be," I smiled.

"Go get your girl, Ranger."

I nodded and patted the bonnet of the SUV as he quietly drove out of the car park, only to be replaced by Cal in another SUV. I was feeling so pleased that Tank had a watch roster on Stephanie's apartment. Racing up the stairs, I silently slipped into her apartment. A quick hello to Rex while he was running a marathon to nowhere on his wheel, before I headed to her bedroom.

I breathed that unmistakable sense of peace as soon as I eased into my chair. It never seemed to dissipate with each visit, more like it intensified. That overwhelming sensation of calm and serenity hit me once again. I breathed her in, watching her chest rise and fall in her peaceful slumber. I slipped off my sneakers, placing them neatly beside my chair. The curtains were drawn. Interesting. She had a couple of votive candles flickering, with the faux flame. It added a special ambience to her room. I smiled as I noticed the absence of her Rangeman shirt tonight but I did admire her pretty lacy matching set in navy blue. She rolled over and smiled at me.

"Hey you." She sounded sleepy but was awake.

"Hey." I smiled.

"I knew you'd come." Her smile was radiant. "Get in here. I need to catch up. I need more Ranger time. Last time was not nearly enough."

Cheeky and sassy. Gotta love that. Making quick work of my clothing, I slipped into her warm inviting arms.

Oh yess. Heavenly.

Slow tender touches.

Validation.

Tender kisses.

More validation.

Finding those sweet spots on her neck and behind her ear. Stephanie finding mine.

It felt so good.

Bliss.

Our touches were more sensual this time.

All the things I thought about, dreamed about, wished and longed for, were coming true.

Sweet loving touches.

Heavenly.

Drugging deep kisses, becoming more fervent and passionate as our tongues duelled and danced.

"Carlos. I need you. I want you, now. Make love to me, now."

I smiled at those imploring sweet words. I felt the same. I wanted to ask her the same. We were on the same page. I have my Missing Piece. I almost feel whole again.

We made love, and a few more times through the night, resting in between with short recovery sleeps. One of us would reach out for the other, to connect, validate each other's presence and reality. She felt the same. We both needed that confirmation.

During a break, I followed Stephanie into the kitchen. She brought out a platter of fruit, nuts and cheese for a snack. Something she had prepared earlier. While we drank some water, we leaned against the kitchen island, completely naked, enjoying our refreshments, hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder, maintaining physical contact. Rex got some walnuts and a piece of apple, happily munching them with us, like he was enjoying our dark o'clock picnic too. I couldn't keep my hands off her. She was so beautiful. I loved her. I know. I was in love with her. I pulled her to stand in front of me, warmth still radiating from our overheated bodies, hers glowing. My hands ran up and down her back and I cupped her cute little ass. She smiled. She loved me. She was in love with me. Those were our heartfelt words, the only words we spoke during our love making. Validation. Confirmation. I felt worthy. Sigh. She too sighed, and smiled sweetly.

We covered the tray and put it back in the fridge. I looked at the time. It was close. She smiled knowingly, grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the bedroom for another round. I wasn't complaining.

Getting up, I looked down at my beautiful Babe, lying there all spent, boneless and luscious. I kissed her once more.

"Gotta go, Babe. I wish I could stay. I know you understand. Stay there," as I covered her warm naked body, after giving a playful nip to her cheeks, like I had wished before on my second visit. She giggled and rolled into the sheet and snuggled in.

"I'm so glad you're back. I knew it all along. I never gave up. I felt it. I felt your presence. I love you, Carlos."

"Love you, Babe."

I glanced at her wardrobe and smiled. With that I let myself out and stealthily disappeared into the dark morning.

oOo

TBC

Got to love Stephanie and her powers of deduction.

My Muse thought you deserved a break from her cliffies.

So, where and how does this clusterfuck finally get resolved? Do you think Morelli is really involved? Directly or indirectly, or not at all?

And … FYI … Leo and Kenny Mancuso appear in canon in Two For the Dough.

Tina Ragusto is mentioned in Four To Score.